Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has made representations to his Thai counterpart during his recent visit to Thailand on the conviction of human rights activist Andy Hall.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon. Friend Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific (Mark Field) on 30 April 2018, UIN 136959.

The UK has a wide-ranging relationship with Thailand on prosperity, education and security issues. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade's visit to Thailand was to set out the future of our bilateral trading relationship and show UK commitment to free trade. Human rights continue to be at the core of our values and we are fully aligned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's commitment to raising these issues in the Government's diplomatic engagements overseas. As my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State did in Bangkok, covering the issues that Mr Hall works on, although his specific case was not raised.

The British Government supports the right of human rights defenders to carry out their work without fear of harassment or reprisals. We also support full implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.